Examination of Differences in Pre-Competition Anxiety and Big Five Personality Traits in Esport Players and Athletes

The primary aim of the paper is to conduct research on the personality traits and pre-competition anxiety of Esports and sports players, in addition to confirming differences in personality and pre-competition anxiety between the two examined groups. The research has been conducted on 67 (N=67) subjects, 30 of whom are semi-professional or professional gamers who participate in state-level and regional-level competitions. The remaining 37 subjects are the highest-ranked athletes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The t-test, a type of inferential statistic, has been used to determine statistical differences in disposition between the arithmetic means of the two groups, using BFI-44 (α=0.78) and CSAI-2 (α=0.60) measuring instruments. It has been anticipated that the Esports players are ranked lower at Extraversion (E) and Agreeableness (A) levels, while their Neuroticism (N) level is higher compared to the results of the athletes. The research indicates that all of the three hypotheses regarding the Big Five Model have been confirmed – on the scale of Extraversion (E) with significance levels of p=0.000 (p<0.0001); on the scale of Agreeableness (A) with significance levels of p=0.002 (p<0.01); on the scale of Neuroticism (N) with significance levels of p=0.042 (p<0.05). Furthermore, the fourth and fifth research hypotheses, proposing there is a statistically significant difference in cognitive and somatic anxiety (CSAI-2) in Esports players and athletes, were not confirmed. The sixth research hypothesis was confirmed, showing that there is a statistically significant difference between Esports players and athletes on the self-confidence dimension (CSAI-2) with p=0.030 (p<0.05). Results gathered on this sample could serve as an important part of understanding the differences between Esports players and athletes.